Psoriasis treatment
Your body was built to help defend you against any intruders—cells, viruses and substances that simply do not belong inside of you. Your immune system is the set of tissues, organs and marrow designed to wage war on foreign substances. Unfortunately, sometimes the immune system is ultra sensitive and, in its desire to help your body, it actually begins attacking those tissues, organs or substances that belong in the body, rather than those that don’t. This is called autoimmune disease and is the chronic syndrome that causes psoriasis.
Psoriasis is not contagious through intercourse, touching, coughing or any other means. It is simply an autoimmune disease that results in scaly patches on your skin. Sometimes, psoriasis can cause an over production of skin and cause inflammation and thick skin areas. Psoriasis can be found anywhere on your body—even your genitals or your scalp.
The key to any good psoriasis treatment is to stop the cycle of excessive skin growth. When this is done properly it will reduce the amount of inflammation on the skin and will reduce the thick skin areas, which leaves your skin less irritated looking and feeling.
Psoriasis Treatment Options
There are many different psoriasis treatment options to choose from. Most of them are topical. A topical treatment is a cream or other substance that is applied directly to the skin rather than ingested, injected or swallowed. There are some topical treatments that are available over the counter but most need the approval and prescription pad of your primary care physician or dermatologist. Some of these topical treatments include:
- Corticosteroids: Corticosteroids are drugs that suppress the activities of the immune system. This prevents it from overreacting and causing the super accelerated growth of your skin. This will also reduce your inflammation and rashes. Corticosteroids are used to treat other skin disorders like eczema. They do contain small amounts of steroids although you won’t suffer any of the side effects of steroid use like accelerated muscle growth or angry outbursts.
- Retinoids: You may have heard about retinoids in various treatments for acne. They are also used very effectively for psoriasis. They work to reduce inflammation and can make going out in the sun much more bearable for the delicate skin of psoriasis sufferers.
- Synthetic Vitamin D: Synthetic vitamin D treats moderate psoriasis by slowing the skin cells that grow excessively.
In addition to the topical methods mentioned above, psoriasis sufferers can also get laser treatments on their skin to remove the skin over growth. This treatment is approved by the Food and Drug Administration and uses ultraviolet light.
Non Medical Psoriasis Treatment Options
It is important to meet with your dermatologist before you decide to try a non medical psoriasis treatment. Without consulting with a physician, you may end up doing your skin more harm than good. For extremely light cases of psoriasis, you can also go out in the sun for regular intervals and allow the natural ultra violet rays to reduce the effects of psoriasis on your skin. It is important to avoid wearing sun screen on the areas of your skin that are affected by psoriasis so that the ultra violet rays can do their work. Make sure you do wear sunscreen on any areas that are clear of psoriasis. If you are unable to go outside, you can try a tanning bed to see if the ultra violet rays emitted by the tanning bed are suitable to reduce the inflammation of psoriasis. Be sure not to stay in the bed too long as the concentrated rays on your skin can be damaging.
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